Crooked Purple Rain!

The Racist Origins of Modern Clown Makeup (or, just one more reason to hate clowns)

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:35:41 -0500

sourcedumal:

deliciouskaek:

ianthe:

kawaii-afro-fluff:

ianthe:

This post was asking about a potential link between the afro-style wigs and big, painted lips of the modern clown and racist caricatures, so I decided to do what any good theatre history student would do - I did some research.

SPOILER ALERT: YUP, IT’S RACIST AS FUCK

From Janet M. Davis, The Circus Age: Culture & Society Under the American Big Top:

Some circus programs contained portraits of clowns in literal blackface, with huge red mouths and bulging eyes, strumming energetically on a banjo, but often the auguste clown’s blackface was metaphorical. He created his racial identity through the act of ‘‘whitening up’’ with thick pancake.

His greasy whiteness and exaggerated bodily zones—huge red mouth, lolling, paint-encircled eyes, big fake nose, ears, and feet—made his look strikingly similar to blackface. Showmen played upon this visual connection by arguing that African American men literally were clowns because of their supposed aﬃnity for clowning and the circus. The Ringling Bros.’ route book from 1895 and 1896 contained a section, ‘‘The Plantation Darkey at the Circus,’’ which imagined—in almost orgasmic language—black men as minstrel characters.

[…]

Proprietors further conﬂated the African American man and the clown by arguing that both were completely controlled by their emotions, not reason.

Superlative examples of white manhood—the big cat tamer, the wire walker, and so forth—demonstrated little emotion during life-threatening acts. The clown, by contrast, howled in mock fear when he saw a mouse, or shrieked in pain at a mosquito bite. Showmen characterized male African American spectators in a similar vein as giddy and superstitious.

[…]

Actual big-top acts made this rhetorical relationship between the clown and the African American complete. In 1888 Eph Thompson trained the elephant John L. Sullivan at the Adam Forepaugh circus. Wearing a boxing glove at the end of his trunk, the elephant sparred with Thompson in the ring and frequently ‘‘punched’’ him so hard that Thompson went ﬂying over the ring bank.

Unlike the white trainer who dominated powerful animals, Thompson played a clownish coward—constantly vanquished by the boxing pachyderm—and consequently remained unthreatening to Euroamerican audiences. Yet Thompson still had a diﬃcult time ﬁnding employment with American shows. As a result, he moved to Europe where his career ﬂourished.

In line with the tenets of nineteenth-century romantic racialism, show-men’s portrayals of black men and clowns reﬂected contemporary representations of white women: late-nineteenth-century scientists argued that ‘‘excessive’’ emotionalism deﬁned women, racial ‘‘savages,’’ and children of all races. The German Darwinist Ernst Haeckel and the Americans Edward Drinker Cope and G. Stanley Hall were all proponents of recapitulation theory, positing that every organism repeats the life history of its ‘‘race’’ within its own lifetime, evolving through the less developed forms of its ancestors on its path to maturity. They contended that Euroamerican women and ‘‘primitives’’ remained mentally and emotionally ﬁxed in lower ancestral stages of evolution. Accordingly, only white boys were physiologically and mentally capable of reaching the highest stages of racial and gender development as fully evolved men. This line of thought used pseudoempirical phrenological evidence to claim that African American men were perpetually emotional and juvenile, just like the clown.

The painted clown acted out childish behaviors and infantile pleasures. He reveled in dirt, cried freely, openly adored the serious ‘‘adult’’ acts, and played physical pranks on everybody, from ringmaster to the audience. If playing a hobo (popularized most fully by Emmett Kelly’s ‘‘Willie’’ tramp character during the Depression, when at times nearly one-quarter of the American workforce was unemployed), the auguste clown’s persona was deﬁned by dirt. Laughing loudly at the clown’s antics perhaps transported audiences back to the unrestrained pleasures of their own collective infancy and childhood.

More than a ‘‘low Other’’ who simply represented a tantalizing version of what they were not, the unfettered clown symbolized what clock-bound, alienated adult Euroamerican men perhaps felt they had lost.

Even the red noses have their origins in racist stereotypes.

From Mikita Brottman, Funny Peculiar: Gershon Legman and the Psychopathology of Humor:

While the Native American plains tribes had their own various manifestations of the Trickster figure, the main clown type of non-Native Americans was not the August, as it was in Europe, but the character clown… After the [Civil War] ended, however, one particular style of character clown came into prominence: the Hobo.

Eric Lott describes how the Hobo figure was originally based on the blackface minstrel clowns (hence the exaggerated white mouths) who portrayed the figures of African Americans made homeless by the ravages of the Civil War.

Lott explains that the Hobo character clown is a distinctly American invention, with his tattered hat, huge white mouth, three days’ growth of beard, torn clothes, and cartoon alcoholic’s big red nose. […] It seems ironic that such mawkishly appealing personalities had their roots in the miseries of poverty and oppression and the disfigurements of alcoholism and venereal disease.

Holy sht. I knew something was up when I compared the two photos! Something didn’t seem right… and i was right!

I never would have even thought to make that connection before I saw that post so thank you for giving me something to look into - I truly learn more from this website than I ever will in any class

huh. you really do learn something new every day.

Racism abound…

minstrelsy was the first form of American national popular/mass culture - it’s the foundation for everything that came after it, including vaudeville, the circus, cartoons, everything. Eric Lott’s Love and Theft lays this out really well.

On my seventh birthday, my mother threw me a party, for which she made the grievous mistake of hiring a clown. I tried to punch the clown in his face mere minutes after his act started. I couldn’t understand why the clown annoyed me so much then, but I never regretted it.

reckon: 36 hours of Sun Ra for the 99th anniversary of his...

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:51:22 -0500

reckon:

36 hours of Sun Ra for the 99th anniversary of his arrival on Earth!

KFJC

Reblog if you've formed a meaningful relationship with someone you met online.

Wed, 22 May 2013 15:48:46 -0500

THUNDERSTATEMENT

queennubian: kungfud: livetomakeadifference: I SWEAR TO...

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:19:22 -0500

queennubian:

kungfud:

livetomakeadifference:

I SWEAR TO FUCKING GOD CALIFORNIA DRIVERS ARE THE WORST YOUR BLINKER IS THERE FOR A REASON JACKASS

That is true. In California they don’t believe in blinkers. In LA many people don’t believe in brake lights, either.

BEST EVER

I deal with this @ least once daily.

Entertainment Weekly: Bruno Mars Says His First #1 Hit Was Rejected Because of His Race

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:16:19 -0500

Entertainment Weekly: Bruno Mars Says His First #1 Hit Was Rejected Because of His Race:

iridessence:

robyewest:

peaceloveandafropuffs:

rhapsodyincolour:

Three years ago, Bruno Mars became a worldwide superstar with a string of smash hits. But before that, he struggled for years to make it, and reveals that one of the barriers to his becoming a pop star was his race.

Bruno is Puerto Rican, Jewish and Filipino. In the cover story of the new issue of Entertainment Weekly, he says that when he and his songwriting partners came up with a song called “Nothin’ on You,” Bruno figured it was his ticket to the big time. But when he brought it to a music industry decision-maker — a guy he won’t name — the reaction shocked him.

“He goes, ‘Oh man, oh man, what a song,’” recalls Bruno. But then, he says the guy told him, “You know what kind of white artist we could break with this? Blond hair, blue eyes, we could make this kid the next thing!”

“It was just kinda sad,” Bruno tells EW. “It was like, ‘Man, what about the kid that played you the song and wrote it and produced it…what about that guy?’”

That experience, Bruno said, made him feel like a “mutant,” and he says that was his lowest point. “Even with that song in my back pocket to seal the deal, things like that are coming out of people’s mouths. It made me feel like I wasn’t even in the room.”

Thankfully, the story has a happy ending. “Nothin’ on You” went on to become a #1 hit for Bruno and rapper B.o.B. It was nominated for three Grammys, and it launched Bruno on what’s became one of the hottest pop careers of the decade.

Look you guys post-racial!!!!

And Bruno is out here SHITTING on hoes.

I’m so glad he made it.

Why aren't more people freaking out about the new Venezuelan labor law?

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:04:03 -0500

monetizeyourcat:

dancepunksnotdead:

You know, the one that gives housewives/full-time mothers a pension— wages for housework?

It’s ONLY A HUGE VICTORY FOR FEMINISM, SOCIALISM, AND WOMEN OF COLOR. Not a big deal or anything. Tumblr is mysteriously silent about this.

http://rabble.ca/columnists/2013/05/venezuelas-new-labour-law-best-mothers-day-gift

holy shit!

"Please, do not excuse them. In fact we should be harder on them. We expect white people to hate us...."

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:47:54 -0500

“Please, do not excuse them. In fact we should be harder on them. We expect white people to hate us. We expect everyone else to not understand us. But black men are supposed to love us. They are supposed to be our allies in this fight. They are supposed to respect and adore and honor us. And yet we find ourselves begging for love and wishing they would care for us. It isn’t right. Love is supposed to be unconditional and yet love from black men is nothing but conditions; they love us IF we look a certain way. They love us IF we act a certain way. That’s not love. And it’s unfortunate that after all this time, in this day and age we still have to ask “why don’t black men love us?””

- my mother, after a friend tried to justify why some black men disrespect black women (via youngblackandvegan)

theoreticalgirl: modraucous: Pramod Pati, Indian 60s...

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:42:01 -0500

theoreticalgirl:

modraucous:

Pramod Pati, Indian 60s Modernism Avant Garde film master!! watch all his things on youtube he is a genius and the soundtracks are so gooooooood.

I will zone out to this later tonight.

Me too.

strugglingtobeheard: siddharthasmama: provocatoria: socialisma...

Tue, 21 May 2013 13:10:04 -0500

strugglingtobeheard:

siddharthasmama:

provocatoria:

socialismartnature:

Amazing 9 year old Asean Johnson brings the crowd to their feet at Chicago school closings rally

Asean (ah-Shawn) goes to Marcus Garvey Elementary School, slated for closure by the Chicago Public School administration, an un-elected board who’s members are appointed by Mayor Rahm Elmanuel, former Chief of Staff for President Barack Obama

More Info On School Closings Protests Here

===

Daaaamn. Watch this 9-yr old student stand up and spit hot fire at a mass rally against the Chicago Mayor and Public School administration who are trying to close his and dozens of other schools in mostly non-white neighborhoods.

The future of social justice activism.

Crying. Black and brown children shouldn’t have to grow up so fast. This kid is absolutely amazing, but I wish we lived in a world where he could just play with his friends, hang out with his family or spend time worrying about if that girl down the street has a crush on him, instead of having to take on the responsibility of advocating for himself and other black, brown and low income childrens’ education. POC kids can never just be kids, man.

Bolded that last sentence for the cot damn truth.

jesus. this child. wow. so real. i get so mad at the government because like… you hate black radicals but you create them!!! you see this!! this child just wants to go to school and have some safety!!!! thats what he wants. and he can’t have it. because he’s Black and poor. and his friends are too. so these children are acutely aware of this. and we hate Black radicals in this country but we spend every day creating them. give the kids what they need. this child tho!!

theoreticalgirl: Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI, I need you in my...

Mon, 20 May 2013 20:08:16 -0500

theoreticalgirl:

Fender Pawn Shop Bass VI, I need you in my life.

LIFE GOALS

curvellas: and the real fucked up part about it is we all know that people in the most pain...

Mon, 20 May 2013 15:43:39 -0500

curvellas:

and the real fucked up part about it is we all know that people in the most pain sometimes cause the worst pain. i’m observant. i be looking at the back grounds in these niggas selfies. niggas got mattresses on the floor with no sheets on it, niggas is eating dinner off the ironing board, niggas rooms look like harry potter’s at his aunt and uncle’s crib, just under the damn stairs. some of these niggas out here counting pennies to buy groceries and can’t afford name brand anything with their dollar tree lotion. and when they do post personal shit and you catch a glimpse of what they’re going through; some of them are fucking struggling. with money issues, mental health issues, family issues, and it be the same fucking ones who turn around and harass and bash, and berate and humiliate and think it’s a victory for them when they manage to knock someone down or cause them to delete their tumblr. and you’d think they’d have some empathy for one another and since they know what it’s like to be struggling they wouldn’t be trying to put all that negative energy out in the world but nah. they wanna bully niggas on the internet to feel like they somebody.

"Your life is your story and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 16:02:34 -0500

“Your life is your story and the adventure ahead of you is the journey to fulfill your own purpose and potential.”

- Kerry Washington, Commencement Speech to the GWU Class of 2013 (via crazyisperfect)

"Marry your best friend. I do not say that lightly. Really, truly find the strongest, happiest..."

Sun, 19 May 2013 10:07:55 -0500

““Marry your best friend. I do not say that lightly. Really, truly find the strongest, happiest friendship in the person you fall in love with. Someone who speaks highly of you. Someone you can laugh with. The kind of laughs that make your belly ache, and your nose snort. The embarrassing, earnest, healing kind of laughs. Wit is important. Life is too short not to love someone who lets you be a fool with them. Make sure they are somebody who lets you cry, too. Despair will come. Find someone that you want to be there with you through those times. Most importantly, marry the one that makes passion, love, and madness combine and course through you. A love that will never dilute - even when the waters get deep, and dark.””

- N (via beatboxgoesthump)

GPOY

Sat, 18 May 2013 19:00:42 -0500

GPOY

I got my guitar back! Thanks to everyone who helped spread the...

Sat, 18 May 2013 16:42:44 -0500

I got my guitar back! Thanks to everyone who helped spread the word about it. :-)

Someone Actually Stole My Guitar Last Night

Sat, 18 May 2013 03:26:33 -0500

On the evening of Friday, May 18th, while I was playing bass with Zest of Yore at Red 7 in Austin, TX, someone walked into the venue’s “green room,” took one of my electric guitars out of its case, and walked out with it.

For the sake of my own sanity, I’m going to assume that it was an accident, due to the fact that there were six people who played guitar on stage that night, and instruments and equipment can easily get lost in the shuffle. I don’t entirely BELIEVE that it was an accident (why leave the case behind?), but I’m trying to have faith in people.

Anyway, this guitar is a right-handed baby blue Squier Jagmaster with a burgundy pick guard. I don’t know the serial number, but it does have one identifying customization: It has strap buttons on both sides of the neck, due to the fact that I play it upside-down left-handed. I’ve owned this guitar for 15 years. My mother bought it for me as my high school graduation present. It’s the guitar that I wrote “Steal My Guitar” about; yes, that song is based on a true story.

I’ve already talked to the staff of the venue about it, and I’ve already filed a police report. If you have any information about where this guitar could be, please let me know privately. If you’re the person who has this guitar, please give it back to me, and I won’t ask any questions. If you’re reading this @ all, I’d appreciate it if you could share this info with as many fellow Austinites as possible.

burndownthekitchen: PLEASE REPOST- my friend Joey hasn’t been...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:40:26 -0500

burndownthekitchen:

PLEASE REPOST- my friend Joey hasn’t been heard from since last night. Please spread this around. He’s a wonderful person and a lot of people are missing him right now. He lives in west Philly and is active on tumblr, facebook and other social media sites but hasn’t updated since yesterday.

Joey Ross is a local Philly kid who goes to shows frequently and I’m sure some of you know personally. He’s been missing since yesterday. If you hear from him or know someone who has, please call either number listed below.

267-252-4447 or 856-577-4719

“Writers don’t write from experience, though many are resistant...

Fri, 17 May 2013 12:32:23 -0500

“Writers don’t write from experience, though many are resistant to admit that they don’t. I want to be clear about this. If you wrote from experience, you’d get maybe one book, maybe three poems. Writers write from empathy.”

— Nikki Giovanni

"Forget what it sounds like for a minute, let’s consider the spirit of rock and roll: Rebellious...."

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:09:20 -0500

“Forget what it sounds like for a minute, let’s consider the spirit of rock and roll: Rebellious. Energetic. Vocal. Independent. Driven. Unapologetic. Powerful. They’re characteristics I could attribute to damn-near every sister I know.

In fact, my personal Who’s Who of Rock and Roll is stacked with bomb Black women. Betty Davis. Grace Jones. Tina Turner. Aretha Franklin. Nona Hendryx. Poly Styrene. Joan Armatrading. Joyce Kennedy… and that’s just 1976-77.

So why do so many people go out of their way to marginalize or flat-out disregard Black women as both pioneers and torchbearers of rock? Why are we so indifferent to the fact that more than a few African-American women strapped an instrument to their back and helped carry the genre from the fields to the church to the juke joint to the charts to a multimillion-dollar industry?

Probably because someone told us it wasn’t ours and we chose to believe it. They said it was devil’s music, so we cast it out. We let it go because someone gave it white skin, a penis, and the green light to cross boundaries that Black people couldn’t. And in so doing, they convinced the world that our pioneers didn’t deserve equal recognition, equal exposure or equal ownership.

Damn shame.”

- Black Women In Rock: If Sister Rosetta Tharpe is too old school for you, then maybe Santigold flips your wig. Either way, sisters have been part of rock music for as long as guitar feedback’s been loud (via blackrockandrollmusic)

Former NASA Engineer Awards Kiera Wilmot Scholarship to Space Academy

Fri, 17 May 2013 11:00:39 -0500

Former NASA Engineer Awards Kiera Wilmot Scholarship to Space Academy:

hamburgerjack:

esotericalesbians:

jalylah:

As a show of support, former NASA engineer Homer Hickam awarded Kiera a scholarship to attend the United States Advanced Space Academy (ASA), a branch of the famous Space Camp in Huntsville, Alabama!

YESSSSSSSSS!

I LOVE WHEN THIS SHIT HAS A HAPPY ENDING

EXCELLENT